Knitting-machine



(ModeL) W. ESTY.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Oct 18, 1887.

n Pimps. pmvum n henwawn ud. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

KNITTING- MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,563. dated October 18, 1887.

Application filed August 27, 1883. Renewed February 9, 1885. Again renewed August 17, 1885.

Again renewed February 25,1886.

Again renewed September 20, 1886. Serial No. 214,080. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ESTY, of Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to'make and useit, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specifica tion.

My invention relates to knitting machines; and it consists, first, in the combination of a fixed needlebed, separate sets of needles arranged on opposite sides thereof at such an angle to and distance from each otherthat the needles of one set, when moved endwise, will cross the plane of movement of the other set, and means for operating both sets of needles at the same time, with a yarn-carrier having two yarn passages or eyes through opposite ends thereof and arranged above and oblique to said rows of needles, a pinion secured upon the shank of said yarn-carrier, a rack-bar for engagingsaid pinion and arranged to be moved over the rows of needles therewith, stops for engaging the rack-bar as it is reciprocated, and the crank or handle for moving the carrier and rackbar back and forth over the needles, the carrier being adapted by its oblique position to always keep one yarn in advance of the other; second, in the combination of a fixed needle bed, the two sets of needles placed upon said bed opposite to each other and at such an angle to and distance from each other that the needles of one set, when moved endwise, will cross the plane of movement of the other set, and means for supporting and operating both sets of needles at the same time, with a yarn-carrier having two yarn passages or eyes through opposite ends thereof and arranged above and obliquely to the rows of needles, and provided with an operating-pinion, a rack-bar, means for moving the rackbar back and forth over the needles, astationary stop at one end of the frame, and a movable stop at the other, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to produce a knitting machine in which the thread-carrier carrying the two separate and distinct yarns or threads at the same time is moved back and forth over the needles and is partially rotated at each end of the rows-of needles for the purpose of transferring the yarn from one set of needles to the other, whereby a tubular fabric may be knitted.

Figure 1 is a plan view ofalmitting-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the movable stop and its support. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe carrier.

In Fig. 1 is represented an ordinary Lamb knitting-machine, such as is in common use, and in which two sets of needles, X, are used, as shown in Patent N 0. 50,369, dated October 10, 1865, with my invention applied thereto. These two sets of needles are supported upon fixed needle-beds, and .are placed at such an angle to and distance from each other that the needles of one set, when moved endwise, will cross the plane of movement of the other set. Supported above the two rows of needles and in a position obliquely thereto is a double th read or yarn carrier, B, preferably made of the shape shown in Fig. 3, and which has a shank extending up through a suitable supportingplate, 0. This supporting-plate is secured rigidly upon the top of the machine by means of the braces D, one of which supports each end. Upon the upper end of the shank of the carrier is formed the pinion E, which meshes with the rack-bar F.

The carrier B has its two ends, which serve as guides for the yarns, turned at right angles to its shank, as shown in Fig. 3, and through these two ends are formed yarn passages or eyes, through which the yarns are passed for the purpose of being guided back and forth over the two separate and distinct sets of needles. *hen the rack-barFis moved endwise, the ends of the carrier are reversed for the purpose of shifting the two yarns from one set of needles to the other. As this carrier moves the two yarns back and forth over the two sets of needles both yarns are moving in the same direction, but one slightly in advance of theother, and each set of needles knits one side of a fabric. When the carrier is made to reverse its ends for the purpose of shifting one IOO yarn from oneset of needles to the other, each yarn is madeto cross over to the opposite set of needles from the one on which it has been knitting for the purpose of uniting the two webs together, and thus form a perfect stocking-leg or other tubular fabric. This rackbar, each time that the carrier is moved endwise by the crank, moves far enough for the end of the rack to strike against one of the stops at I, for the purpose of being moved endwise just far enough to reverse the yarncarrier or impart thereto a half-revolution about its axis, and thus reverse the yarn from one set of needles to the other. Each time that the end of the rack strikes one of these stops the rack is forced endwise upon the sup-' porting-plate O, and as it moves its teeth cause the pinion to revolve, and as the carrier 13 is rigidly secured to the pinion the carrier is caused to revolve one-half way around for the purpose of shifting the yarns from one set of needles to the other at the end of each course' knit.

At one end of the frame the stop or projec' tion a is placed, and which is here shown as being stationary, so that the rack-bar will strike against it at each stroke of the crank; but at the other end a portion of the top projection, b, is cut away, as shown, so that the rack-bar need not be shifted unless the operator wishes. rack-bar is absolutely necessary for the shifting of the yarns by the carrier from one set of needles to the other to unite the edges of the two webs knit by the two sets of needles into one tubular one. If the rack-bar is not shifted at all, as when the stop I is turned out of the way, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the rack-bar will not strike it, two separate flat webs are produced, each having a thread of its own; but in case the rack-bar is shifted at both ends alike the two threads are carried over the needles in the same direction and back and fed thereto, crossing at each end, whereby atubular fabric is formed, and the yarn of each alternate course of such fabric is knitted therein around in opposite directions. When this stop I is dropped down over the cut-away portion of the projection 12, the rack-bar will strike the yastop I at every stroke of the crank, and thus causectheca'rrier to reverse one-half around. Through each end of the carrier is passed a separate and distinct yarn or yarns, one yarn or yarns for each set of needles. The cams Z, for actuating the needles, are placed in such relation to each other that one set of needles knits in advance of the other, so that neither one will interfere'with the other in knitting, and thus each set of needles knits a flat web, which are entirely separate from each other when the carrier is not shifted. p

The carrier is caused to move back and forth over the two sets of needles by means of a crank or handle, H, pivoted to a fixed portion of the machine and connected by the rod H to the needle-cam-carrying frame, and as the carrier moves back and forth it feeds yarn to both The endwise movement of the' sets of needles at the same time. This carrier unites the two flat webs by carrying the yarn that is knit on one side at one-stroke back on the other side at the other stroke, and thus transfers each yarn from one set ofneedles to the other at every half turn of the carrier. When the machine is knitting and the carrier is reversed at both ends alike,'both yarns or 7 5 threads are made to travel across'the needles in the same direction and back and are fed thereto, crossing from one set of needles to the other, and a tubular web is produced, in which each alternate course is knit into the fabric 3 around in opposite directions.

Another application of mine, filed Septem ber 10, 1887, and numbered 249,335, shows and describes a reciprocating and reversible yarncarrier, a rack and pinion, and movable stops for reversing said yarn'carrier; but I do not claim the same, except in combination with certain other devices not shown or described in this application.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. The combination of a fixed needle-bed, separate sets of needles arranged upon opposite sides thereof at such an angle to and distance from each other that the needles of one set, when moved endwise, will cross the plane of movement of the other set, means for operating both sets of needles at the same time, ayarn-carrier having a yarn passage or eye at each end thereof and arranged above and mo obliquely to said rows of needles, a pinion secured upon the shank of said yarn-carrier, a rack -bar for engaging said pinion and arranged to be moved over the rows of needles therewith, stops for engaging said rack-bar at each end of the reciprocation of the yarncarrier, and means for moving said yarn-carrier and rack from end to end of the rows of needles.

2. The combination of a fixed needle-bed,

separate sets of needles arranged upon opposite sides thereof at such an angle to and distance from each other that the needles of one set, when moved endwise, will cross the plane of movement of the other set, means for opcrating both sets of needles at the same time, a yarn-carrier having a yarn passage or eye at each end thereof and arranged above and obliquely to the rows of needles,a pinion secured upon the shank of said yarn-carrier, a

rack-bar engaging with said pinion and arranged to be moved over the rows of needles therewith, means for moving said carrier, and rack from end to end of the rows of needles,

and a movable stop arranged to be moved into 123 the path of the rack -bar to rotate the earrier or to be withdrawn from said path, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

WILLIAM. ESTY.

Witnesses:

FRANK W. Rnnvns, EDGAR F. Rnnvns. 

